Santa, Frosty, Rudolph – all on one Menlo Park street today!

Let’s get it out of the way and admit it – Santa Claus still knows how to make an entrance and work a crowd. That was evident this afternoon at the Yale Neighborhood Holiday party hosted by Mike Lanza and family.

Of course, Santa wasn’t the only draw. There was Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, too. All were more than happy to chat and pose with the gathered kids.

Before the appearance of these special holiday characters, the party goers sang songs accompanied by the Menlo Park Brass Band and nibbled food from the buffet. And, thanks to the canopied tent, about the only people who got wet were the toddler set who just couldn’t resist playing in the fountain in Mike’s Playborhood front yard.

This was the inaugural year for the Lanza festivities. “My wife and I were talking and started thinking about when it was that we last sang Christmas carols to a brass band,” says Mike. “So we just decided to make it happen and invite the neighbors.”

Whether a new Menlo tradition has been born is yet to be seen. But Mike himself seemed to be having a whole lot of fun!